The present application is a continuation-in-part application of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/426,648, filed Oct. 25, 1999; Ser. No 09/427,152, filed Oct. 25, 1999; and Ser. No. 09/427,378, filed Oct. 25, 1999 all pending.
The present invention relates generally to communication networks, and more particularly, to methods and systems to manage and track the states of electronic media in such networks.
Communication networks are used to share information. The information is passed between users of the network using a common medium. For example, many individuals communicate over the Internet using a medium such as electronic mail. As the medium is passed between users, the medium changes states. The change of the states may occur quickly and become too complex for the user to track and manage. Thus, to determine the current or actual state of the medium and its contents tends to cause confusion and lead to a waste of a user""s time and resources.